Love's Looking Good on You
by VikkiHeat
Summary: Kate/Rick. A series of one shots exploring their friendship, partnership and subsequent romantic relationship. Reviews are appreciated!
1. 1 Love's Lookin' Good On You

**Love's Looking Good on You**

_Summary: Kate/Rick. A series of one shots exploring their friendship, partnership and subsequent romantic relationship._

_A series of one shots or songfics based around Kate and Rick's friendship, partnership and relationship, all set to songs by Lady Antebellum. _

_First installment is very fluffy, but along the way they'll be drama and angst, and obviously lots more romance! First part is unbeta-ed, so any mistakes are mine and it's late here so, forgive me? More to come soon. Hoping to write a lot more Castle/Beckett during the Castle hiatus. Hope you enjoy this, reviews are appreciated. And thanks again to everyone who reviewed my first Castle fic 'The Premiere', I love you guys!_

* * *

1) Love's Lookin' Good On You

_Love, love, love's lookin' good, good, good on you  
Well can you feel it, oh everybody sees it  
How your sweet smile has a way of lighting up a room  
Yeah you shine like diamonds in everything you do  
Oh love, love, love's lookin' good, good, good on you._

Lanie looked up from the sink where she had scrubbing her hands as Detective Kate Beckett walked into the morgue, and smiled at her friend. Kate returned the smile, her features seeming to light up as she did so. It had been a long time since Lanie had seen Kate smile so genuinely, as if she was really happy and it was infectious.

"Somebody looks cheery today." Lanie commented. It was a rare occurrence in the morgue where death and despair were so prevalent. She and her colleagues tried to keep the mood light, but sometimes the job just got them down and Kate's good mood definitely helped to lift Lanie's spirits.

"I shouldn't be," Kate admitted. "I'm here to find out how the teenage girl who was found by joggers in Central Park died."

Lanie sighed, she had hoped for some personal details from Kate about the radiance she seemed to be emanating. The pathologist had her suspicions that Kate's happiness had something to do with the bestselling author who was uncharacteristically absent. Lanie was about to question Kate as to why Castle wasn't there with her but finding justice for the murdered teenager was much higher on her list of priorities.

* * *

Kate was humming softly to herself as she made a cup of coffee. It was just a regular brew, made in her favourite but plain coffee mug, not a fancy cappuccino with syrup made in an unblemished white china cup. It was strange how quiet it seemed around the station without Castle, yet she had worked there without him for much longer. In the relative silence, Kate thought about what Lanie had said at morgue, about her looking 'cheery'. It was true, she was a lot happier these days than she had been in a long time. It seemed strange that she could attribute that happiness to a man like Castle. When he had first arrived at the precinct she had despaired of him, and not even his charm or good looks could penetrate through her annoyance. For a while she had believed that he was part of the reason for her misery but as time had passed, their relationship had developed and Kate had found herself taking a step with him that she had never thought was possible.

Her cell phone rang from the pocket of her blazer and she dug it out, pleased to see that the caller display showed that Castle was on the other end of the line. Speak of the devil, she thought to herself.

"Castle?" She still hadn't gotten used to using his first name, and she didn't want to use it around the station anyway. She worked with detectives, she didn't expect them not to notice the change in her behaviour towards Castle but she liked to keep her personal life as private as humanly possible. That was easier said than done when you were dating a world famous author, who often frequent the entertainment sections of reputable and tabloid newspapers alike.

"Hey Kate." Castle seemed not to have the same problem with first names as Beckett did. He called her Kate at every chance he got, and she liked the way he said it. She chided herself often for the teenage girl behaviour Castle often provoked in her, but working long hours solving the most horrendous of crimes made her appreciate even the smallest things in their relationship. "Alexis wants to know if you're coming to dinner tonight."

"Is that an invitation?" Kate asked, smiling in spite of herself. Another thing that made her happy, besides being with Rick, was that she had inherited his zany family as part of the package. In some of her previous relationships, this would not have been a good thing but she had been fond of the Castle family from the very first time she had met them.

"Sure, of course I'll be there. Tell her I'm looking forward to it." Yet another change in her life. Usually Kate wasn't a huge fan of socialising after work, she preferred to go home to read with a glass of wine but spending time with Rick or with the Castle family as a whole seemed so natural now. She had vowed never to change herself for a man, but with Rick things were different. They may not have exchanged those three little words yet, but Kate was convinced that it was love, for both of them.

* * *

She arrived at the Castle apartment just after seven o'clock, offering a bottle of wine and a coffee cake from the bakery around the corner from the precinct to Castle when he opened the door. He took the gifts from her and bent to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer, realising that she had missed him even after less than twenty four hours apart. The kiss would have gone on longer if Alexis had not then announced that dinner was ready.

"Hello, dear." Martha greeted as Kate and Castle made their way to the kitchen where Alexis was serving up one of her creations.

"Chet is out of town for the week, so mother is delighting us with her company again." Rick explained for Kate's benefit, while Alexis lovingly rolled her eyes.

* * *

After dinner and cake, Alexis whisked Kate away to her bedroom, leaving Rick to do the washing up, much to his disapproval. Kate followed the teenager up the stairs, wondering what could be so important and why whatever it was couldn't have been discussed at dinner.

"You know I proof read for Dad, and give him advice and stuff about his books," Alexis began. "Well, he just gave me the penultimate chapter of the new Nikki Heat book, and I think you should read it. Dad's not all that good at expressing his feelings, I mean, he doesn't have that problem because I'm family, but he does with women."

Kate nodded, still wondering where this was all headed. She didn't like the idea of reading Castle's work without his permission but Alexis was so insistent and Kate knew that she wouldn't have been so forceful if she didn't have a good reason.

"I've got some homework to do." Alexis said, heading over to her desk. "Take as long as you need."

Kate took the manuscript from Alexis, and settled herself on the foot of the bed to read it. A lot of it didn't make a lot of sense to Kate as she hadn't read the rest of the book, but it was when she got the scene between Nikki and Rook that Kate understood why Alexis had wanted her to see it.

_Rook ripped the sleeve from his shirt, folding into a strip to make a tourniquet. Nikki bit down on her lower lip as Rook tied the material around the gash on her upper arm. The pressure on the wound felt better though and it didn't seem to be bleeding so much._

"_That'll hold for now," Rook told her, not having much in the way of medical knowledge. "But we really need to get you to the Emergency Room."_

"_Rook..." Nikki stopped him, the hand of her good arm tugging at what was left at his shirt. "Thank you."_

_Rook looked a little taken a back, realising that this was first time they had been together without fighting or having sex, or both. It was making a lot of feelings hit home; ones he had tried to deny since they had met. There had always been a connection between them but to begin with Rook had believe it was purely sexual, he was now convinced that his feelings were much deeper than this. Now seemed as good as any time to tell Nikki how he felt. After all, he could have lost her in the shoot out which had fortunately only cause a deep skin wound to her left arm._

_Nikki was looking at him, her eyes locked on his and she seemed to be waiting for a response from him._

"_Nikki," He paused, clearing his throat. "Nikki, I...I love you."_

_He waited for the damage, having no idea how she would react to this. After taking a moment to process his words, Nikki's features lit up. "I love you too, Rook." She kissed him long and hungrily, but broke away a few moments into the kiss. "They're back!"She pulled him to the ground as gunshots rang out._

Kate put the manuscript down, wondering what Castle was trying to say by having Nikki and Rook fall in love already. She stared into space for so long, that Alexis asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine. Thanks for letting me read it."

Alexis just shrugged and went back to her homework, but grinned to herself when Kate left the room, closing the door with a soft click. Her father and Detective Beckett had been at the beginning stages of their relationship for too long and, as glad as she was that they were finally together, she still felt they needed a push in the right direction. Resisting the urge to go and overhear what happened between them next, Alexis turned back to her homework once more.

* * *

Kate found Castle still in the kitchen, washing dishes. She stood for a while just watching, she couldn't deny how cute and domesticated he looked doing an ordinary everyday task. Seeing that Martha had left him to it, Kate picked up a tea towel but put it down again. Rick still hadn't noticed her yet, he was too busy scrubbing a place and humming to himself.

She crept up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing a light kiss to the back of his neck.

"I love you too, Rick." She whispered, mirroring Nikki Heat's words almost exactly except for one tiny syllable.

She left the apartment before Rick could say anything back, but Kate had a feeling that they would have plenty of time to talk things over. She grinned at the doorman on the way out of Castle's apartment; the smile of someone happy with how life was going for once; the smile of someone in love. Kate caught sight of herself in the mirror as she took the elevator down to the ground floor, love definitely suited her.

_Hope you enjoyed! Lyrics are from 'Love's Lookin' Good on You' by Lady Antebellum. Next chapter I will probably be using 'All We'd Ever Need'. Please review on your way out! Xx_


	2. 2 All We'd Ever Need

All We'd Ever Need

_Thanks for all the reviews for the first installment! I really appreciate it and it's nice to see some other Lady Antebellum fans out there! This songfic didn't turn out at all as I had expected it too, but I hope you like it. Other songs I'm going to use along the way are 'Something 'Bout A Woman', 'Need You Now' and 'Last Night Last'._

_Once again, reviews are appreciated and I don't own Castle or the Lady Antebellum track._

* * *

_It's been all this time_

_And I can't get you off my mind_

_And nobody knows it but me._

He was going to say something; something he thought was amusing, or clichéd or corny, but something. It was the way he usually dealt with a case coming to a close, he needed some way to make it all make sense and cracking a bad joke with good intentions was his means. Working alongside Beckett had taught Castle how very different the world of criminal investigation was to the fictional lives of Derek Storm and Nikki Heat. He hadn't the chance to say anything today despite the way he had desperately craved for Kate to roll her eyes at him, offer a put down or exchange in banter with him. She somehow had become a bigger part of his life than he could have imagined. Now, suddenly, he was realising that she meant a hell of a lot more to him, than he did to her. It was obvious from the way that she smiled at Demming, in an almost coy fashion, that for the moment he didn't exist at all. It hurt Castle a lot more than he would ever admit, and he had turned away, unable to face the attraction that was sparking between them.

As Castle drove home he realised that his pangs of envy were ridiculous, especially when he considered the fact that they had both been involved with other people, if only superficially, in the year they had known each other. Perhaps it was because only now he was really coming to grips with the strength and depth of his feelings for Kate. He knew he could have stopped Demming from pursuing Kate but he had tried to be the bigger man, to put her happiness before his own. It had seemed like such a good, noble idea at the time but now he wished he could take it back. Why was it only now that Kate's interests were firmly elsewhere that he wanted her for himself?

_I should've been chasing you  
I should've been trying to prove  
That you were all that mattered to me  
I should've said all the things that I kept inside of me  
And maybe I could've made you believe  
That what we had was all we'd ever need_

Kate enjoyed Demming's company and how easy it was to be around him. Now that the initial awkwardness of their early flirtation was over, she found herself growing to like him even more. He made her feel special already, the way his bright blue eyes locked onto her's and how he concentrate on every word she was saying. It helped that he was a detective too, so he understood when she had to cancel on him at the last minute but didn't resent her for it the way some guys had in the past. Still, there was something missing, it was almost as if their relationship was just too simple.

_My friends think I'm moving on_

_But the truth is that I'm not that strong_

_And nobody knows it but me._

"Hello dear," Martha Rodgers greeted him breezily, looking up from newspaper and cup of tea. Castle rarely bothered to ask her why she was at his apartment rather than with Chet these days; it was easier on his mental health that way.

"Hi, mom." He replied distractedly, running some water for the coffee machine.

"Are you alright?" Martha set her newspaper aside, sensing that something was definitely up with her son. She had a inkling, call it mother's intuition, that it had something to do with Beckett and the Schlemming he had mentioned recently.

"Fine." He replied, slamming the drawer of the coffee machine shut rather more violently than was necessary.

"Tell that to the coffee maker." Martha muttered.

When he had made his coffee, Castle went to sit with his mother at the table. He took a sip from his mug and looked across at Martha, judging how much to tell her and how much was better kept to himself.

"It's Beckett." He finally said.

Martha nodded wisely. "And this new man she's seeing?"

Rick sighed. "Yes, mother."

"And you think she prefers him to you?" She inquired.

"Well, I'm not the one she kissed at work." He grumbled, more to himself than to his mother. He stood up again, feeling restless. "I'm going to write for a while." He informed Martha, hoping that wiping out a few fictional people in a fire fight might improve his mood.

_I've kept all the words you said_

_In a box underneath my bed_

_And nobody knows it but me._

Much to Castle's disapproval, Demming was in the break room of the Homicide Division when he arrived at the precinct the following morning. He was even less pleased to see that the robbery detective was drinking coffee from the machine Castle had bought for his team, he wondered if the criminals he dealt with were passing on their bad habits to Demming. Castle stopped himself mid-bitter thought, he was supposed to be being nice to Demming for Kate's sake, but it was harder than he'd anticipated.

It was a relief when Beckett arrived, easing the awkward atmosphere between the two men but soon enough Castle was feeling uncomfortable again. He didn't like the way Kate looked at Demming, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Kate had never once looked at him that way and he felt envy burning up inside of him again.

"I'll leave you to it." He finally excused himself, wandering aimlessly out into the squad room, hoping that Ryan and Esposito would be around to distract him from his jealous misery.

_I should've been chasing you  
I should've been trying to prove  
That you were all that mattered to me  
I should've said all the things that I kept inside of me  
And maybe I could've made you believe  
That what we had was all we'd ever need_

"What did you say to Demming?" Beckett asked, walking purposefully out of the break room five minutes later. She stood in front of him, her gaze burning into his and her hands resting on her hips. Castle would never have admitted it but he did actually feel a little intimidated.

"Uh, I said 'good morning' and 'how's your coffee?', I think." Kate still looked angry but he didn't understand. "Why? Did he think I was hitting on him or something?" Castle's attempt to lighten the mood only seemed to make things worse.

"Did you talk to him about me?" She wouldn't let up and Castle was beginning to feel as if he was being interrogated.

"No." Castle replied without hesitation. The only time that he and Demming had ever spoken of Kate was when the detective had asked if there was anything going between them. More than ever Castle wished he had told Demming that yes, he and Kate were involved because whatever revenge Beckett had subjected him to, it couldn't be worse than watching the two of them together.

"Funny," Kate replied, her voice still laced with bitterness. "He said he couldn't be with me when there was so obviously more to us than just a working relationship."

"Kate, I'm sorry," Now he genuinely felt worse. As much as it hurt him to see her with Demming, he didn't want to ruin her happiness.

Kate sighed, most of the fight leaving her as she sank into her office chair.

"You like him, don't you?" Castle asked, his voice softer now.

Kate nodded, self consciously pushing hair behind her ears. The confirmation hurt, but he realised that Kate's happiness was more important than his own. Wasn't that what happened when you fell in love? Castle wasn't sure, he had never known a woman quite like Beckett before but he knew that he would rather be miserable himself as long as his daughter was happy.

"I'll go and make sure he knows that we just work together, nothing more." He said, getting up.

"Nothing more?" Kate asked. "I thought we were friends."

Castle smiled in spite of himself. "Yeah, I guess we are."  
He walked away, intending to keep his promise to Kate about reassuring Demming. He mentally kicked himself though, wishing than he had done something about his feelings for her before Demming had beat him to it.

_But if you're happy I'll get through somehow_

_But the truth is that I've been screaming out_

_I should have been chasing you,  
You should have been trying to prove,  
that you were all that mattered to me,  
Oh, you should have said all the things,  
that I kept inside of me and maybe,  
You could have made me believe,  
that what we had girl,  
Oh, that what we had  
What we had__  
__It was all we'd ever need_


End file.
